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So peeps after reading countless books and chewing as much information about the battle for France over the years I’m now trying to find some good books about the American advance in to Germany, specifically the battle for Aachen and Hurtgen forest.

Although not as popular reading as the Bugle campaign I really would like to get my hands on some good books about those hard battles that the yanks faced trying to open up a path in to Germany, so any recommendations would be great.

Not about a battle specifically, but it will certainly make an impression on what it was like being in an American tank:



https://www.amazon.com/Death-Traps-Survival-American-Division/dp/0891418148

Give me a moment to go poking through ye old librarium…

Okay let's see;

Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy covers the history of the US Military through the entire European war and are some of the best books on the war imo. The final book in the trilogy, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944–1945 specifically covers the War from Normandy to it's end including the American advance into Germany.

There's little you'll find in other books that you won't find in Atkinson's (it's a very long book), but a few things to round it out;

The Ardennes, 1944-1945 Hitler's Winter Offensive by Christner Bergstrom gives a more concise narrative of the Ardennes and covers more of what was going on in the German military at the time.

FOLLOW ME AND DIE: The Destruction of an American Division in World War II by Cecil Curry is rather out of date (1984) and a little overly reverent imo, but it's a narrative that sucks you in and tells a very heartful tale of the 28th Infantry Division (Not 1st got myself mixed up between 1st Division and 1st Army) during it's embroilment at the Battle of Hurtgen Forest.

While the man is a complete tool, I also feel obligated to point to the existence of Going for Broke: Japanese American Soldiers in the War against Nazi Germany. One of the most powerful tales of the Battle of Hurtgen forest is the rescue of the "Lost Battalion", 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry 36th Infantry Division (Texas National Guard) by the men of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who suffered 800 (30% of the entire RCT) casualties rescuing the battalion. A painting depicting this action currently adorns a wall in the Pentagon as one of the ten greatest actions in US military history. Going for Broke is currently the most complete and professional history on the 442nd in the war.

EDIT: I'd also be careful with Death Traps. The book has been largely discredited on its historical merit, the only praise really going it's way being how well Cooper describes his own experiences. Unfortunately the book presents an extremely inaccurate view of tank combat in the war, and in fact his accounts of technical details for the M4 Sherman are so error ridden that another author declared "Cooper is a fraud pretending to speak of things he never bothered to research" (This statement was made by Dennis Showalter, a leading author of Armored warfare in WWII). Disclosure, I personally dislike Cooper (and rampant plagiarist Stephen Ambrose for that matter) quite passionately. The man never saw combat in his roll as a junior officer, but repeatedly tried to pass himself off as someone who had and he made a habit of taking the stories and experiences of others and claiming them for his own.

One of the interesting things about the American advance is how many of their knocked out tanks they could repair and put back in the field. As the front was moving forward, the engineers could retrieve the knocked out tanks and repair them (sometimes soldering the piece of the hull that was knocked inside the tank by the incoming round back into its hole. Quick wash in the interior, some new paint, and back to the front. Incoming crews did not want these tanks.

On the other hand, as the Germans were retreating, they could not retrieve their knocked out tanks like the allies could, so therefore suffered irreplaceable losses. German tanks were also more complicated and required more maintenance and repair than tanks like the Sherman. By the time the allies were knee deep in France, they probably already had all the tanks they would need, let alone the others still being sent over from the US, just as they could constantly repair many of the tanks that were 'destroyed'.

Cheers for the replies guys il hunt some out. Am reading Anthony Beevors Aredennes book while it’s a slow going book it is very good and well laid out in the case of being easy to follow and not jump around too much.

@KTG17 I may have to take a look at the death trap book too although am looking more in to the campaign books as such and not just the armoured warfare side. Have read a few too many memoir books lately from British armoured tank commanders as they are easy to get hold of and pretty cheap.

The bridge at remagen by ken hechler was pretty interesting (the story of how a bridge over the Rhine was captured and hastened the end of the war)

Another river another town. It's a Gunner's view if the advance. Plus it's the first Pershing crew in combat.

Ah thanks chaps I shall check those two out .